Is September a Good Time to Visit Jiuzhaigou? - Detailed Jiuzhaigou Weather Condition in September

Jiuzhaigou Valley is a dreamlike tourist area being famous for its 6 beauty: green lake, banked waterfall, colorful forest, snowy peak, Tibet culture and blue ice for a long time. As a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1992, it attracts considerable tourist from all over the world to explore the majestic achievement of the nature. Located at the north of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, the climate of Jiuzhaigou is different from other places in Sichuan because it is a part of Qinghai-Tibet Plate and the Yangtze Plate with frequent crustal movements. Thousands of earthquakes left countless beautiful crystal lakes, which made Jiuzhaigou a unique place in the world.

In Middle September, Jiuzhaigou still remains green.

Weather of Jiuzhaigou in September

Different beautiful views happen in different seasons. In Jiuzhaigou, spring is blue, summer is green, autumn is gold and winter is white. If you visit Jiuzhaigou in September, you may not see the golden leaves but green forests.

The weather in September starts to cool down. Although in Sichuan basin, the average temperature is still about 30°C, in Jiuzhaigou, the average daily low temperature is only 11°C and the highest is below 25°C in the early September. Many people choose Jiuzhaigou as their summer resort to escape from the intolerable heat.

3 Days Jiuzhaigou Valley and Huanglong National Park Local Tour

The ultraviolet radiation and rainfall are decreasing from summer days: 20 days of September are rainy and about 90 mm total rainfall in September. The rain season is gone, so there would be less natural hazard like landslide and debris flow. It’s not in brilliant purples and reds like in October, but the flowers are blooming and the leaves are green, which is another kind of beauty.

Weather Forecast of Jiuzhaigou in September for Reference

What to Wear when Visit Jiuzhaigou Valley in September

The temperature difference in September between daytime and nighttime is huge. It is highly recommended that wearing a leisure clothing like T-shirt and bringing a jacket or a coat. Also because of the rainy season, you’d better carry a raincoat or umbrella with you. A pair of comfortable shoes is definitely necessary since the roads are all hill roads and you may need to walk a long way to see a lake. In September, the ultraviolet radiation is still strong, you may need a hat to protect you from the sunshine. In addition, sun cream is essential because the temperature in day time is high, wearing a short T-shirt is enough, which means your arms and face need sun cream.

What to Wear when Visit Jiuzhaigou Valley in September

Jiuzhaigou Altitude Sickness

The altitude of Jiuzhaigou is quite high so that most visitors have experienced altitude sickness. Many parks and lakes lie at the altitude of 2500 meters, and the airport is at 3500 meters. In September, the oxygenwould be less than in July and August, so Jiuzhai Valley National Park doesn’t recommend those who have heart disease and high blood pressure to come. However, if you feel uncomfortable because of anoxia on the way, you can buy an oxygen bottle which is available all the way in the scenic park. Or you can start to eat some Rhodiolarosea 2 weeks ago before you go to Jiuzhaigou.

Animals in Jiuzhaigou in September

Over 220 bird species as well as a number of endangered plant and animal species are living in Jiuzhaigou, including the giant panda, Sichuan golden monkey and the Sichuan takin, etc. In September, the living path of these animals still can be tracked. You may come a cross a naughty monkey, even a blue sheep. After September, some animals are going to star their hibernation, which makes the valley lonely and cheerless.

Lovely Monkey in Jiuzhaigou

After the summer holiday, the visitors flow rate decreased a lot which means that you don’t have to wait for 30 minutes to take a photo with your friends and the leaves start to get yellow slowly. Moreover, the human traffic is going to jump to millions in the first week of October and the prices of everything like accommodations, foods and tickets shot up a lot because of the National Day holiday. All of these factors made September an ideal time to visit Jiuzhaigou.

Nuorilang-waterfalls in Jiuzhaigou

What to See in Jiuzhaigou in September

In September, the sky feels higher and the air is fresher. The green and gold leaves are reflected in the blue lakes and the autumn is coming, some of the leaves fall off the trees, sprinkle on the surfaces of the mirror lakes, and drift with the water.

4 Days Chengdu Jiuzhaigou Huanglong Overland Tour

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Jiuzhaigou’s landscape is made up of high-altitude karsts shaped by hydrological and crustal activity. The rock strata is mostly mad up of carbonate rocks like tufa and dolomite and sandstone. The reason that some lakes are so clean and clear that the bottoms of lakes are even visible at 10-meter depth is high concentration of calcium carbonate. Also the color of the lakes is varied according to the depths, residues, and surroundings. In September, yellow, blue, red and green mixed together with crystal banked waterfalls create a fairy picture, which is a visual enjoyment in those warm days and cool nights for visitors.

Mirror Lake of Jiuzhaigou

Another choice is visiting Huanglong Scenic Area, whose altitude is even higher than Jiuzhaigou, if you want to explore the gold and red scene in early September. You can see the valley aflame with autumn colors like red maple leaves, gold grass and blue sky. It is not as popular as Jiuzhaigou that the visitor flow rate is lower. Because of the altitude, the temperatures in September range between 1°C in the night and about 15°C in the day time. Huanglong is closed from each November to March, because the temperature is too low and white snow covers all the scenic place that people can barely live or enjoy in there. The highest point of Huanglong is 4000 meters, so people with altitude sickness should pay more attention. 5-color lake in Huanglong is the most beautiful and highest lake within the great Jiuzhaigou area with 5 different color in dark blue, orange, green, olive green and sky blue. Even in winter, 5-color lake is not frozen. Tourist should bring a down jacket or down coat with sweater wore and wear snow-proof shoes.

Picturesque Five-color Lake in Huanglong

Is it too early to see the red maple leaves if I visit Jiuzhaigou in September?

Yes, you go to Jiuzhaigou in September only find the maple trees are still green. The average temperature in late September is still about 16°C. Meanwhile, in Huanglong whose altitude is higher than Jiuzhaigou, the maple leaves turn to be red in middle and late September, which is a good choice for its lower visitor flow rate. You won’t experience the crazy crowd.

Accommodation in Jiuzhaigou

Although September is not as popular as October, September is also a welcomed season for travelers, compared with winter. Therefore, as a high tourist travel month, the prices of hotel rooms, flight tickets, train tickets, bus tickets, tour-guide fee, scenic tickets as well as restaurants in late September go up sharply, which means the busiest tourist season begins, especially crowded in the 1stweek of October.

The Local Lodge in Jiuzhaigou

Most hotels in Jiuzhaigou area are not equipped with air-conditioners for the weather is always cool. From September, the weather is getting much cooler in the night, so electric blankets are available in every hotel to help keep you warm. But in international hotels like Sheraton, InterContinental and others, air-conditioners are well-equipped for heating. No matter in high-end hotels or local Tibetan-style houses, you will always rest nicely. Notes that the price of local hostels and guest housed would vary a lot from different seasons, so we highly suggest you book your accommodations in advance.

The International Hotels in Jiuzhaigou

What’s more, do book the transport tickets 1 month early and make a Plan B for your trip to Jiuzhaigou in September. It is truly a waster of time standing in the crowded stations or scenic spots waiting for a ticket.